Youth gets shot at crunch time

Philadelphia 76ers' Nick Young (1) reacts after missing the go-ahead basket with four seconds remaining in overtime in an NBA preseason basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, in Atlantic City , N.J. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The final five minutes of regulation and the five overtime minutes that followed played out like a track meet, with bodies flying all over the hardwood as though red tape had replaced the baselines.

The kids were running the show Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall, with two rookies and a one-year veteran among those 76ers coach Doug Collins entrusted with the result of a gimmicky exhibition game down the shore.

On the bench were Kwame Brown, Spencer Hawes and Thad Young. On the court were Lavoy Allen, Maalik Wayns and Arnett Moultrie. Not exactly the beacon of experience a coach can rely upon.

“There’s only so much banging guys could do,” Collins said, in the aftermath of a 108-105 Sixers loss to the Brooklyn Nets, “but if it means getting over on the elliptical or the bike or the treadmill or we’ve got a new antigravity machine that Josh (Harris) and the owners bought that’s a great, great piece of equipment. Guys, we’ve got to get some guys in shape. Key guys for us, we’ve got to get them sharp.”

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Collins cited a lack of fitness for the Sixers’ failure to pull off a comeback victory against the Nets.

This was merely a preseason game in which the result matters little. So Collins won’t be losing any sleep for the Sixers’ inability to pull off the rally, which started with a feverish fourth quarter and fed into overtime.

However, conditioning – according to Collins – will be the staple of a rotation of young players.

The Sixers took flight behind rookies Moultrie, whose late rebounding forced the extra session, and Wayns, who hit a game-tying 3-pointer in OT.

Trailing by one with 8.6 seconds left, Nick Young’s fadeaway jumper from the top of the key rimmed out. Young – who scored a game-best 21 points on 5-for-14 shooting – had another bid to tie it, but his 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded clipped the front of the rim.

The Sixers, who continue their preseason slate Monday at Wells Fargo Center against the Boston Celtics, could have benefited from an experienced big in the overtime period. They shot 3-for-11 in the five-minute period, with Brooklyn pulling down five defensive rebounds.

Instead, Collins – whose hands were tied with fatigue setting in – was forced into playing an athletic lineup against the Nets.

“Our team, we’ve got to get in better condition,” Collins said. “I’ve been a little bit worried about pushing the guys in camp and we’ve got a few older guys. We’ve got a few guys who, coming in, were a little heavy.

“I get worried about injuries, but I tell our guys, ‘We’re not in the shape we need to be to play.’ That’s the one thing – the teams I’ve coached is always in is great shape. So we’ve got to, from this point til whenever we get started, we’ve got to get in better shape.”

So concerned with injury taking hold of his team, Collins opted to sit Jason Richardson and Dorell Wright against Brooklyn, a pair of 3-point-shooting veterans who could have aided the Sixers bid to start the preseason schedule with two consecutive wins.

Moultrie played well, despite not having been asked to remove his warm-up pants until the fourth quarter. He made good on his 11 minutes down the stretch. The 6-10, 230-pound forward out of Mississippi State pulled down a defensive rebound and fed an outlet pass to Wayns, who found Nick Young in transition for a 3-pointer. That helped the Sixers claw to within four, at 93-89, with 2:53 to play.

“I want to go out there and be aggressive,” Moultrie said. “I want to go out there and not make it like I’m soft and (show) that I can hang with the big guys and get some defensive rebounds.”

That hustle play triggered an 11-2 run, buoyed by Damian Wilkins’ tying free throws, that sent the game to overtime tied at 95. Moultrie was at it again with 2:07 to go in the extra session. His dunk, the cleanup of a Wayns miss, gave the Sixers a 102-99 lead.

The Sixers aren’t losing much late in exhibition games, having turned over the reins to Wayns and Moultrie, who desperately need the experience if they are to contribute regularly this season.

But something was missing down the stretch.

“I think we’ve got a lot of depth, great depth,” said Wayns, who finished with 18 points in 23 points. “I think everybody from nine to the 14th guy can play on this team. I think we’re coming along as a team and any guy can play on this team. We’re getting better and better, and we did this without two big parts of our team – Dorell and J-Rich.”

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The funny thing about these preseason games is the scripted nature of them. Wanting to rest two veterans, Collins did. Desiring rotation consistency, he found it.

Collins held onto Lavoy Allen and Thad Young as options off the bench. Collins subbed on his bigs with 5:45 to go in the first quarter. Then he went to Nick Young and Maalik Wayns later in the frame, a rotation he preferred to reserve.

It’s a quartet he envisions big things from and continuity comes from minutes together.